Discussion at the 20th EU/China summit in Beijing on Monday 16 July will cover the fight against climate change and implementation of the Paris agreement on climate. It will be attended by China’s President Xi Jiping, Prime Minister Li Keqiang, European Council President Donald Tusk, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
The subject will be tackled as part of discussions on global challenges. In addition, this time, both parties may adopt a common declaration by European and Chinese leaders on climate change and clean energy – not adopted at the previous summit in Brussels in June 2017 (see EUROPE 11802), or at the One Planet Summit in Paris in December that same year (see EUROPE 11920).
“Leaders are expected to adopt a statement. It could be annexed to the main statement”, a European source confided to EUROPE, on Friday 13 July.
“Partners want to send a powerful signal. There is a clear wish on both sides to have a common declaration”, a senior EU official said the same day, giving his assurance that Europeans are “substantially more confident this time”.
In the draft declaration on the table, the EU and China confirm their commitment to step up their cooperation to enhance implementation of the Paris Agreement and implement the universal programme for sustainable development. They also confirm their will to reduce the use of fossil fuels, to stimulate development of clean technologies and to contribute to the objective upheld by the international community to raise €100 billion per year to support the efforts of adaptation and mitigation of developing countries (see EUROPE 11901).
When asked about the reasons for European optimism regarding adoption of the text, the same senior official said: “The Chinese side had a fixation on the specific wording regarding anti-dumping legislation (Ed. in the EU) which prevented us reaching agreement on a text. Since then, the new legislation has been adopted. The subject is no longer raised. Now, the emphasis is on what puts us together”.
Enhanced cooperation with regards ETS. Both sides are also expected to adopt a memorandum of understanding on emissions trading enhanced cooperation, the aim being to link the EU’s ETS and the corresponding Chinese system created in 2017 (see EUROPE 11584). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang with Mathieu Bion)